Equinox

Alexander (Thomas Niehaus) could never—or never really wanted to—fall in love. He always settled for fleeting relationships—until one day he meets the vaudeville artist Paula (Aenne Schwarz). With her, Alexander experiences a happiness he’s never known before—a happiness that comes to an abrupt end with Paula’s sudden death. Alexander meets Paula’s sister Marlene (Sarah Hostettler) and, through her, gets to know a different version of Paula—one that increasingly contradicts his persistent daydreams of perfect love. Marlene, in turn, is skeptical but also curious about the man who claims to have known her enigmatic sister so well. Their shared grief brings the two closer together—and soon Alexander finds himself torn between a fleeting, longed-for image and a woman standing right beside him... Director Lena Knauss has crafted a poetic, atmospherically powerful love drama here, one entirely devoted to the idealization of a lost love. The interplay of light and shadow creates a dreamlike mood, complemented by the powerful acting of Thomas Niehaus and Sarah Hostettler. Emotionally sincere and sensitive, this promising debut film explores longing, projections, and the danger of idealized love, which threatens to distract one from life itself.